


Hearts So Full of Joy

by pandorabox82



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: 12 Days of Ficmas, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:48:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28896135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandorabox82/pseuds/pandorabox82
Summary: Aaron is finally able to come home, and the only person he wants to see is Penelope. A magical encounter at the local antique store leads to the perfect gift for her and a way to start over new.
Kudos: 5





	Hearts So Full of Joy

"And she hasn't said anything to you about what she'd like for Christmas?"

"I wish that I could help you, Aaron, but she's always been the one to ask us what we want. Henry's first Christmas? I swore that she bought out a toy store for him, along with getting Will and me extravagant gifts. And she never asked for more when all we could give her was a few nice headbands in return. It felt like a meager gift, but she acted like it was the best thing she had ever received. I've never heard her complain about anything that she receives from anyone, and I truly think that it's because of how she felt so alone for so many years, when she was the Black Queen. But I know that you'll manage to find her the perfect gift that will begin to make up for staying out of our lives for so long."

"Yes, well, I wanted to give Jack some semblance of security for the rest of his school career. Now that he's in college, I have the opportunity to make certain things right, and one of those is rebuilding the friendship that we once had. I know that she's seeing that Luke Alvez…"

"Was, Aaron. That fizzled out ten months ago! Really, where are you getting your intel from?"

He rubbed his neck sheepishly before answering. "Rossi."

"He wouldn't know what we're currently doing, since he's so wrapped up in his new granddaughter, and Penelope's taken another new job, one that leaves her less time to talk with us. I think that I'm the only one that she actively keeps up with, and that's because she's been helping me with the transition down to the New Orleans office. Michael! Stop that! I'm sorry, Aaron, I have to go. Call again soon, we have a lot to catch up on."

"I will, Jen. Stay safe." He ended the call and slipped his phone back into his pocket before taking a deep breath stepping into the antique store. He was hoping to find something kitschy and eccentric, something that would scream 'Penelope' to him, but he hadn't had any luck thus far. JJ had been his last hope for ideas, and then that had been a bust. Crossing his fingers, he disappeared into the back of the overcrowded shop, deciding to work his way to the front in the hopes that he would find the perfect gift. The sheer number of things contained in the store threatened to overwhelm him, and he shook his head a little as he tried to focus.

"Can I help you find something?"

He turned to look at a short, older, woman and gave her a small smile. "I hope so. I'm trying to reconcile with a good friend this holiday season, and she needs the perfect gift. I haven't been able to find anything that would fit her, and was hoping that vintage might be the right way to go."

The woman nodded, a small twinkle in her eye. "Why don't you tell me more about her, so that we can find the present with her name on it?" She placed her hand in the middle of his back, leading him over towards a door that he hadn't noticed at first, and while he knew that he should be more on guard, there was something so charming about her that he felt immediately at ease. She opened the door to reveal a cosy office and indicated for him to take a seat in front of a cluttered desk while she poured them each a cup of tea. "All right, who is this woman, and what does she mean to you?"

He wrapped his hand around the cup and allowed the warmth to bleed into his as he thought about how to describe Penelope. "She's one of the dearest friends that I've ever had in my life. She took care of me and my son when we needed someone to step up for us, and never asked for anything in return."

"And you're in love with her."

He paused as he looked up at the woman, seeing that the knowing look in her gaze had only grown since he had entered the office. "I do love her. She's the best person that ever entered my life. But I'm just her friend."

"So we need to find a gift that helps her to see this other side of you. What does she like?"

"Fuzzy things, furry things. She's a ball of love and color, and whenever I think of her, I think of rainbows. There's always some sort of fascinator or headband or hair clip adding a little extra oomph to her personality. She collects the most outrageous pens, and decorates her office with pretty things that take her mind off the bad things that she looks at in the course of her work."

The woman tapped her finger against her chin as she thought, and Aaron hoped that she would be able to figure out something that would work for Penelope. "All right, I think that I have just the thing for her. If you'll follow me?"

He nodded and finished off his coffee before setting the cup on her desk and leaving the room, keeping his steps measured so that he didn't overtake her. A part of him thought that he hadn't seen this part of the store when he entered, but he knew that that wasn't at all possible. Still, he looked askance at the rows of vintage clothing that he was almost certain he hadn't been aware of at the outset. "I don't think anything here will fit her," he started to say, only for the clerk to hold up her hand as she pushed aside some of the clothes to reveal a stack of hat boxes.

"Purple, teal, or black?"

"Teal," he replied automatically, and she nodded before lifting off the top two boxes, shoving them into his hands before taking hold of the third one.

"Put those back, please," she said without looking back at him as she made her way out of that area, and Aaron hurriedly complied so that he could catch up with her. Somehow, she had made it all the way to the register by the time he emerged from the aisle they had been in, and he frowned a little as he watched her wrapping the hatbox with a large red velvet bow.

"I don't get to see what I'm purchasing?"

"Sarcasm does not suit you, young man. You just have to trust that sometimes, there are people who know what perfection is, and that you don't have to know everything. I promise, this isn't a gag gift, or something that will blow up in your face. She will truly love it, I promise. But if she shouldn't, well, I will accept a return. I highly doubt that will happen, but if it will allay your fears, then I will allow it."

He nodded, feeling slightly chastised by the gentle ire in her voice. "All right," he replied as he dug out his wallet and paid for the gift, trying not to balk at that two hundred dollars he had just laid out for something that he hadn't even seen. "Thank you for your help this evening."

"You're most welcome, Mister Hotchner. I do hope that your Penelope knows how luck she is to have someone like you in love with her." He blushed as he took the hatbox from her hands and left the shop. Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was still early enough to swing by Penelope's place, even if she wasn't expecting him. Taking a deep breath, he straightened his shoulders and made his way back to his car, setting the box carefully in the passenger seat before getting behind the wheel and heading across town to Penelope's apartment.

By the time he arrived there, Aaron found himself slightly nervous, a feeling he'd not experienced since the day he had asked Haley to marry him. He knew that this was a far different case, but for some reason, his brain was treating it the same way. Picking up the gift, he carried it up the walk and pressed the buzzer for her apartment, waiting for her to answer. "Hello?"

"Garcia, it's me. Can I come up?"

There was a brief pause before the lock on the door opened, and he made his way inside before heading up the stairs to her apartment. Aaron wasn't surprised that he didn't even have to knock on the door to announce his presence, as the moment he turned towards her place, she was opening her door to him, glancing out with an exasperated smile on her lips. "You have been out of WitSec for almost six months, and you think that now is an appropriate time to make your reappearance?" she asked tartly as she welcomed him into her home.

"I had to get Jack settled in college, to make certain that he was going to be able to step out into the world on his own, after all the upheaval that his early life held. Merry Christmas?"" he said as he held out the hatbox to her.

"Aaron, you didn't need to get anything for me. I didn't get anything for you. But then, I didn't know that you were coming. Still, this is too much."

"Or maybe it's just enough."

She tilted her head to one side as she frowned at him, taking the gift from his hands and setting it on her legs. "Did, did you not see this before you bought it?"

Aaron felt himself blush a little as he shook his head. "I asked for help at a lovely little antique store, and the proprietor steamrolled me over after I told her a little about you, swearing that you would love what was inside. So, I hope that you do, though I do have the opportunity to get you something different, should you hate the gift."

"I don't think that I could ever hate anything that you gave me, Aaron. God, I have missed you so much. Why do you still look like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders?"

"Because it still feels that way at times. I did everything in my power to give Jack as normal a life as I could, but it still doesn't feel like it was enough. Do you remember when I collapsed in the conference room?" She nodded. "While I was somewhere between life and death, I had a vision of Haley and Foyet, and she loved Beth. She told me to make things work with Beth, but we just couldn't make it happen. And when I was in the Program, I could never find anyone to settle down with. There were too many ghosts speaking to me."

"Was I one of those ghosts?" she asked, not looking at him, her eyes fixed on the bow as she worried a piece of it between her fingers.

"Yes." That answer caused her to look up at him, a tremulous smile on her lips as she nodded. "Now, are you going to open that box and reveal to me what I bought you?"

A soft giggle slipped from her lips as she nodded, sliding the bow off the box and setting it on her coffee table before hooking her fingers around the lid. "I just need to ask before I pull this lid off. You did not go out and buy me a pet, yes?"

"I wouldn't do that to you, Penelope. That's something that you would need to pick out for yourself." Her smile widened as she nodded, tugging the lid off of the hatbox and looking inside, a soft gasp escaping her lips. "Please tell me that is a happy gasp."

"It is, Aaron. Are you certain that you didn't pick this out?"

"Very. The clerk didn't even open the box, just picked it up and declared it right for you. Why?"

"Look," she replied as she pulled the contents out of the box. "I'm going to look as fancy as Princess Anne or Countess Sophie." He nodded while she pulled the current headband off her head and then slipped the hat into place. It was teal, with a spray of colored feathers that offered up a riotous design, and it looked for all the world like something he would see at a fancy garden party, like the ones his mother used to host when he was young. "How did you know?"

"I didn't. I told her that you liked pretty things, and when she asked for the color, I replied with teal. This was the end result."

"Well, it is most definitely the perfect Christmas gift. I just wish that I had something to give you in return."

"Ah, Penny, you give so much to so many people, this is just a small way to say thank you." They smiled as she rose to her feet and went over to the bathroom, stepping inside to take a look at her reflection. While she was gone, Aaron took the opportunity to look around the rooms, having not been in there in close to a decade. It was still chaotic in the best way, everything in there a reflection of Penelope's personality and interests, and for some strange reason it made him feel at home.

"This is just so beautiful, Aaron. I hope that you didn't pay too much for this, since it is definitely a Treacy original. His label is on the inside band." Penelope was giving him one of those soft smiles that he loved so much, and Aaron shrugged a little as he tried to find the right way to reply.

"It was a fair price, especially since it put such a beautiful smile on your face," he quickly responded, only a little surprised when the woman took a seat as close to him on the sofa as she could possibly get without being in his lap. "Penelope?"

"I just wanted to be close to you. Or did I misread some of the signals that you were giving me?"

He shook his head slowly. "I was hoping to reconnect with you, yes. But I don't want you to feel like we have to end up in bed because I bought you something pretty. I'm here to stay, even if I'm living with Jess until I find my own place."

"I don't even rate one simple, little, kiss?" she teased as she pulled off the hat and placed it back in the box on the coffee table. Her eyes were so big as she looked back at him, and Aaron cleared his throat a little before meeting her halfway, their lips meeting in a tender, yearning, kiss. "And I am definitely going to want to have more of those in the future, Aaron. Are you spending Christmas with Jessica?"

He nodded. "It will just be the three of us, since Jessica wanted to keep things lowkey. I totally get that, after what happened with Haley coming out of the Program. But if you weren't doing anything, I think that I could get Jess to agree to another guest. She always loved you and your bubbly personality."

"You're in luck, I didn't really have plans, now that Jayje is in New Orleans. So, it looks like that will be our first date. Unless…"

"Yes?"

"We order something to eat and watch a movie now, to get that awkward feeling out of the way. Unless you have to be back at her place for some reason?"

"No, Jack's out doing his thing, and Jess said that it would be better if I was out of her hair while she put food together, so I am yours for the evening."

"And if we play our cards right, perhaps for a lot longer than that," she replied before kissing him once more, a little deeper this time. "It is so good to have you back, Aaron, and to have my heart filled with joy this holiday season." He nodded before giving her another kiss, feeling like he had finally found his way home.


End file.
